"He didn't expect the next ball to be a bouncer" - Mohammed Siraj on setting up Tom Latham in 2nd India vs New Zealand Test

Team India pacer Mohammed Siraj admitted that bowling bouncers to New Zealand opener Tom Latham was a plan he had devised after watching the first Test.

Siraj was not part of the Kanpur Test, in which Latham hit half-centuries in both innings. However, he observed that the Indian pacers did not try out the short ball to the left-hander and was keen on trying out the tactic.

Explaining how he set up Latham, Siraj told teammate Axar Patel in an interview on bcci.tv that he outfoxed the Kiwi batter by bowling consecutive bouncers. The 27-year-old explained:

“I had observed that in the last match (Kanpur Test) no one was bowling bouncers to (Tom) Latham. I spoke to Virat (Kohli) bhai as well and he agreed to have a fielder for the short ball. I bowled a bouncer to him (Latham). He didn’t expect the next ball to be a bouncer. But I again bowled it short and the plan was a success.”

Latham was dismissed for 10 in the fourth over of New Zealand’s innings on Saturday. While he ducked under the first short ball, the southpaw attempted to hook the next one but only ended up presenting a simple catch to deep square leg.

“It is the dream ball for every fast bowler” - Mohammed Siraj on Ross Taylor’s scalp

Apart from dismissing Latham with a smart piece of bowling, Siraj also sent back veteran batter Ross Taylor (1) with a peach. The pacer got one to pitch on off and straighten enough to beat Taylor's outside edge and knock back the off stump.

Admitting that the ball he bowled to get rid of Taylor was a dream delivery, Siraj said:

"We had a field for inswing in place but my plan was to bowl an outswinger. It is the dream ball for every fast bowler. So I was just happy to execute what I had planned.”

Siraj’s early strikes reduced New Zealand to 17 for 3. Eventually, they were rolled over for 62 as Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 4 for 8.